Lean business improvement expert does a mean ‘lean’ on a surfboard

Nov. 16, 2010 - PRLog -- However, it will come as a total surprise to most that Carl is an avid “splash and dash” man - an accomplished wave-sailing windsurfer.

When he’s not achieving major productivity rises for companies and helping them, in some cases, achieve productivity savings into seven figures, he can be found riding some of the biggest waves, not only those the British shoreline can throw at him, but also around the globe.

Carl is a team rider for Seasprite Sports and a shop rider for Cheshire-based Aloha Sailboards, and has ridden the waves as far afield as Cape Town, Chile and Western Australia.

Carl says: “I don’t want to appear to be talking shop, but wave-sailing is very much like running a business! You ensure you are healthy (body and mind), plan ahead (check the weather during the week prior), prepare your equipment (check your board, sail, wetsuit, sunblock and other miscellaneous equipment) and undertake a lean transport review (check the best route there).

“Seriously though, it is a demanding sport and not one for the faint hearted. I am lucky in as much as I travel a lot in connection with my job, so I can sometimes combine my winding-down from the working day with a visit to a location I’ve never windsurfed from before.”

Carl has also learned to balance his work, personal family life and windsurfing pursuits to the stage where all is at a happy medium.

For those wanting more details about windsurfing, please visit http://ukwindsurfing.com/ and those interested in the work of The Manufacturing Institute in helping the country’s manufacturers can visit www.manufacturinginstitute.co.uk

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The Manufacturing Institute is an independent charity - driven by manufacturers for manufacturers. For more than a decade, The Manufacturing Institute has helped transform manufacturing performance, working with over 4000 companies to gain competitive advantage from high impact skills building and productivity improvement programmes.

# # #

Small and medium size North West manufacturers have access to a fully or part-funded manufacturing review to review to assess existing working processes and identify the best areas for improvement.